1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to a new and useful mechanical means of covering a flat and dimensional surface such as a board or piece of vinyl siding with liquid, such as paint and stain, and more particularly relates to a machine incorporating roller applicators.
2. Description of Related Art
In the construction industry it is necessary for laborers to paint or stain the surfaces of boards or other building materials prior to or during the construction of housing and office structures. This wet liquid application process slows and detracts from the more specialized labor used in the construction of building structures. The time and care required to paint boards after they are applied to the building makes such an option prohibitive. Moreover, applying liquid to untreated board will cause them to contract and can result in unsightly and unwieldy gaps in constructed structures. Similarly, while it is desirable to paint or stain boards prior to applying them to the building structure, this is often not a practical option as a clean, dry location may be hard to come by on a job site. In order to affect the complete application to all sides of a board, large amounts of time and care must be taken to allow each surface to dry between applications.
It is known that rollers are an effective tool to apply paint to a board-type surface. However, the time, mess and work area required to use standard roller tools can be prohibitive. A need exists for a portable machine to aid in the efficient and effective application of paints and stains to boards prior to constructing buildings.
Inventions in other fields have sought to use conveyor-belt assemblies to more securely place various film coatings like photoresist on printed electronic circuit boards or panel materials. Mechanical solutions have also been applied in very large-scale, industrial mills. These specialized machines have not been applied to the building construction industry in any analogous manner. No invention has sought to provide a small, portable design which can effectively cover materials at construction-site locations. A successful product would save time and money and prevent an aesthetically displeasing or cluttered and disorderly job site.